Causes of WWII Flashcards
What are the five main causes of WWII?
The Treaty of Versailles
The Policy of Appeasement
The NAZAI campaign (Hitler’s rise to power)
The failure of the League of Nations
The Great Depression
What is the Weimer Republic?
Germany after WWI before WWII
What were the main issues in Germany after the war?
Nationwide low moral
Financial Crisis (The Great Depression)
What were Hitler’s policies?
Old age pensions should be increased
The Treaty of Versailles must be abolished
Germany must take over new territory in Eastern Europe to settle our growing population
The state should pay for the education of gifted children
The state should take over important industries
Non Germans should not be allowed to be newspaper editors
Unemployed people should be recruited as soldiers for the army or employed to build motorways
We must challenge terror or violence with our own terror or violence
Jews should be removed from all positions of leadership in Germany
Germany needs a strong and powerful leader who is able to make it strong again
Communism is dangerous and wrong. It must be destroyed
Germany must be allowed to rearm.
What are 2 ways Hitler rose to power?
He has a strong public image and he appealed to many different groups in German society.
Who created the Policy of Appeasement?
U.K. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain
What was the purpose of the policy of appeasement?
To give Hitler what he wanted in return for the promise of not going to war?
What did the Policy of Appeasement allow Hitler to do?
Rearm Germany by creating an air force as well as making service enrollment compulsory
Allowed Germany to own 35% of Britian’s navy
Remilitarize Rhineland
Expand territory into Czechoslovakia
When did Hitler remilitarize Rhineland?
March 1936
What was Clause 231 of the Treaty of Versailles?
War Guilt clause making Germany take full blame of WWI and outline the bases for reparations.
What was the reasoning behind the Holocaust?
To eradicate the Jewish population because Hitler believed that the Jewish were responsible for the issues Germany was faced with.
What was life like in concentration camp?
Prisoners were malnourished and overworked. Many were slaughtered in gas chambers.
Who was Josef Mengele?
Josef Mengele was a physician who conducted experiments on Jews in order to create the perfect Aryan image.
What is the Aryan race?
Blonde hair, blue eyes, pale skin, the perfect person according the Hitler.
Where was the Western Front?
Across Europe encompassing most of Europe
What is Blitzkrieg?
A German war tactic known as lightning war involving tanks and air support followed by very fast infantry. It was very effective.
What was the battle of Stalingrad?
A battle between Germany and the Soviet Union in Stalingrad due to the industrial capacities of the city. The Soviets won.
What was operation Dynamo?
The evacuation of allied soldiers in DUNKIRK with civilians from Britian taking soldiers to safety (little ships)
What happened to France after operation Dynamo?
France surrendered and turned into Vichy France (Puppet France)
What was the Munich Agreement?
An allied agreement between the Soviet Union and Germany
What event boosted Moral in Britain?
U.K. Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s speech
What did the British Radar aid with?
Tracking the actions of Luftwaffe allowing Britian for crack the German code.
What was the last country left to fight Germany after the surrender of France?
Britian
What was the Normandy Campaigne?
The Normandy campaign was a battle in Normandy which marked the beginning of the allied victory
Why was the Normandy Campaign so effective?
It used decoy artillery which concentrated German troops away from the main point of attack
Where was the Pacific Theatre?
In the pacific involving the southeast coast of Asia, Australia and islands in the pacific.
What happened in Manchuria, China?
Japan invaded Manchuria as an attempt to take resources which they were incapable of producing due to their geographical location.
Why did Japan Bomb Pearl Harbour?
As retaliation to America stopping all exports of resources to Japan
What was America’s stance in the war till 1941?
Non-interventionist meaning they did not want to interfere with the war
What happened to Japan’s declaration of war on America?
America did not take the declaration seriously and were underprepared for the bombing of Pearl Harbour.
What were the similarities between NAZAI Germany and Imperial Japan?
All parties merged under one leader
Stong nationalist views
Belief in racial superiority
Did Japan support the eradication and persecution of Jews?
no
What happened during the bombing of Pearl Harbour?
Japan sent its air force to bomb the American military base in Pearl Harbour, Hawaii
What is the significance of the Kokoda Campaign?
The Kokoda campaign marked the closes Japan got to invading Australia and was one of the greatest victories in Australian history showing the strength and perseverance of Australian soldiers. It also marked the first defeat of the Japanese on land.
What were the conditions of the Kokoda track?
Muddy, low visibility, not enough room for large volume attacks, significant amounts of disease.
Who were the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angles?
Papuans who helped Australian soldiers during the Campaign
How were the Papuans involved in the Kokoda Campaign?
Recruited as labourers and carrieres for both sides, ended up providing more aid to Australians.
When was Pearl Harbour Bombed?
Dec 9th 1941
Why did Japan want to invade Australia?
To take Darwin and separate the alliance between America and Australia which was causing major problems with Japanese efforts in Asia
Who were sent to fight the Japanese in Kokoda?
The 39th Battalion a new Battalion was formed as cannon fodder in order to slow the Japanese in time for reinforcements to arrive
Where was the Kokoda Campain?
Across the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea on the Kokoda track?
Why was the Kokoda campaign so difficult?
Both sides were underprepared for the conditions of the trail.
Who were the Green Shadows?
Papuan infantry battalion - the first to offer resistance against the Japanese invasion
When was the fall of Singapore?
15th Feb, 1942
When did WWII start and finish?
Sep 1st,1939 - Sep 2nd,1945
Which three countries were part of the Axis powers for the entirety of WWII?
Nazai Germany, Fascist Italy and Imperial Japan
What countries made up the allies?
Britain, France, USA and the USSR
How did the Great Depression/roaring 20s impact WWII?
Since tax was greatly reduced people were constantly taking out loans for investments. This eventually led to a market crash in which banks ran out of money. This decreased job security for many as well as limited global trade.
How many countries were involved in D-day?
12 countries - Britian, America, France, Canada, Poland, The Netherlands, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Norway, Australia, New Zealand and Luxembourg (you probably don’t need to memories all the countries I just added them in case anyone wanted to know)
What was the name of the D-day operations?
Operation Neptune
code name - operation overlord
What was the result of the fall of Singapore?
Britian lost one of its key outposts. It was considered one of the greatest military defeats of Britian.
Where did D-day occur?
Normandy, France
When did the Solomon’s campaign start and finish?
August 7th, 1942 - February 9th 1943
When did the bombing of Darwin occur?
12th November 1943
Why did Japan want to take Darwin?
It was a military base which Japan wanted.
What does NOPOK stand for and what do the letters of the acronym mean?
Nature: whether it is a primary or secondary source
Origin: Who made the source, where the source was made and when the source was made
Purpose: what is the message of the source and why was the source made
OK: how does this compare to your own knowledge
Define to areas of the significance chart
Important: People at the time thought it was important
Widespread: It affected a lot of people
Pivotal: It led to other important events
Relevant: It still affects people today
Long-lasting: it affected people for a long time
Profound: It affected people deeply
What was the USSR’s stance for the first 2 years of the war?
Allied with the Germans due to the Munich Agreement
